Foot Brush

ABSTRACT

A brush for use while bathing having a handle and a brush head fixed to the distal end of the handle. A plurality of sole bristles are fixed to the upper surface of the brush head. A plurality of instep bristles are fixed to the lower surface of the brush head at the proximal end. A plurality of toe bristles are fixed to the lower surface of the brush head at the distal end. The toe bristles have a length different than the instep bristles. A liquid soap dispenser is integrated into the handle. The soap dispenser has an actuator button on the handle proximate the hand grip, a reservoir in fluid communication with the brush head, and a dispense valve connected to the actuator for controlling transfer of the liquid soap from the reservoir to at least one of the plurality of bristles.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a brush for use while bathing, and in particular, cleaning one's feet while showering.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In addition to common toiletries, there are many known accessories to make bathing easier, more efficient, or more enjoyable. In addition to a wide variety of soaps, shampoos, and cleansers, there are dozens of scrub brushes, loofahs, exfoliating brushes, and sponges to help people clean their bodies.

Long-handle brushes for cleaning remote parts of one's body are known in the prior art. However, when it comes to cleaning one's feet, these prior art brushes possess many shortcomings. For example, the handle of many brushes is insufficiently long to permit people with limited flexibility or poor balance to reach their feet. This is especially true of elderly people who cannot bend over sufficiently without straining a body part or falling over. Additionally, the handle is often not oriented at the correct, ergonometric angle to permit the user to easily contact the brush bristles squarely on the upper and/or lower portions of the foot. Furthermore, the bristles are often insufficiently long to allow penetration in between the toes. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a bathing brush that is specifically designed for cleaning one's feet and overcomes many of the shortcomings of prior art brushes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a bathing brush that can be used for cleaning distal parts of the body. The brush is particularly useful for cleaning one's feet while showering. The brush generally comprises a handle and a brush head with a plurality of bristles protruding from both the upper and lower surface of the brush head. Preferably, the handle is very long so that the user can clean her feet without the need to bend over excessively. For example, in a preferred embodiment, the handle may have a length at least about 24 inches.

The handle has an elongate shaft with a distal end, proximal end, and a hollow central portion, and a hand grip fixed to the proximal end of said shaft. The brush head is fixed to the distal end of the shaft. The brush head has distal and proximal ends, upper and lower surfaces, lengthwise and widthwise axes. A connection angle is formed between the shaft and the brush head. A plurality of sole bristles are fixed to the upper surface of the brush head. A plurality of instep bristles are fixed to the lower surface of the brush head at the proximal end. A plurality of toe bristles are fixed to the lower surface of the brush head at the distal end. In a preferred embodiment, the toe bristles have a length different than the instep bristles. The foot brush head may have a footprint that approximates the shape of a human foot.

The brush includes a built-in liquid soap dispenser, which includes an actuator button on the handle proximate the hand grip and an internal liquid soap reservoir in fluid communication with the brush head. Preferably, the reservoir comprises the hollow cavity formed inside the handle and the distal portion of the handle that forms part of the brush head. A dispense valve is connected to the actuator for controlling transfer of the liquid soap from the reservoir to at least one of the plurality of bristles. The liquid soap dispenser includes a translation cam mechanism engaging the actuator button. The cam mechanism is connected by an actuator rod to a toggle plug mechanism which opens and closes a communication port connecting the reservoir with at least one of the plurality of bristles.

In a preferred embodiment, the connection angle between the shaft and the brush head is about equal to or greater than the angle between the dorsum of the foot and the leg when the human foot is in the maximum plantar flexion position. Preferably, the connection angle is greater than about 30 degrees, and in one preferred embodiment, is about 40 degrees. Selection of the preferred connection angle enables the user to comfortably orient the brush head in good planar contact with the dorsum of the foot, especially if the axis of the handle is aligned co-planar with a sagittal plane extending through leg.

The foot brush may include a soap capacity gauge for indicating the level of soap in the reservoir. The soap capacity gauge may comprise, for example, an elongate window in the distal end of the shaft.

Each of the pluralities of bristles is designed differently and designed to scrub different parts of the human foot. For example, while the length of the instep bristles is the same, the toe bristles having an increased length along the lengthwise axis of the brush head. The sole bristles are preferably much shorter than the instep bristles.

The shape of the upper brush surface is designed differently than the lower brush surface, and is customized to scrub the sole of the foot. The upper brush surface has a convex surface portion and a generally-planar surface portion. The convex surface portion has a curvature that approximates the curvature of the arch of the human foot. The sole bristles extend upwardly orthogonal to the upper brush surfaces.

In another embodiment, the brush has a removable brush head so that a replacement brush heads can be installed or the original brush head removed for cleaning. In one embodiment, the brush is provided with a plurality of brush heads having different properties, such as bristles with different coarsenesses or lengths. Additionally, the various brush heads may have specific identifying indicia, such as numbers, letters or color, so that a particular brush head can be associated with a particular user in the event the user does not wish to share the same brush head with multiple users.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a bathing brush in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the bathing brush of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the bathing brush of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective of the actuator mechanism of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, exploded perspective of the actuator mechanism of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of the dispense valve of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of the dispense valve and brush head in accordance with an additional embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the brush of the present invention engaged with a human foot; and,

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a shower cap for use with the brush of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, several embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown therein and described below. Throughout the specification, like reference numerals are used to designate like elements. Numerous changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein in their various grammatical forms have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terms superior, proximal, distal, dorsum and sagittal, are used herein with their conventional medical/anatomical meaning as defined, for example, in Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary.

As used herein, dorsiflexion is the movement which decreases the angle between the dorsum (superior surface) of the foot and shin, so that the toes are brought closer to the shin. Plantar flexion is the movement which increases the angle between the dorsum of the foot and the shin.

A bathing brush in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 1-7 and is designated generally by reference numeral 10. The brush 10 of this embodiment has features that make it especially useful for cleaning human feet while showering or bathing. The brush 10 generally comprises a handle 12 and a brush head 20 with a plurality of bristles protruding from both the upper and lower surface of the brush head 20.

In a preferred embodiment, the handle 12 has an elongate shaft 14 with a distal end 14 a, proximal end 14 c, and a hollow central portion 14 b, and a hand grip 16 fixed to the proximal end 14 c of the shaft 14. The shaft 12 is long enough, preferably at least about 24 inches, so that the user can easily reach his feet without excessive bending. In this embodiment, the handle 12 is about 24 inches long, but may be longer or shorter without departing from the scope of the invention. The handle may be straight or may have an ergonomic shape as best seen in FIG. 2.

The hand grip 16 may be integrally formed with or separately connected to the shaft 14. The hand grip 16 is preferably made from a non-slip material and preferably includes a contoured portion 16 a that compliments the gripped fingers of the human hand. In a preferred embodiment, a hook 18 is formed on the free end of the grip 16. The hook 18 preferably has a size and radius of curvature that enables it to be hung from common shower curtain rods.

The shaft 14 has a hollow construction for housing a liquid soap dispenser mechanism, described below, and the liquid soap itself. In this embodiment, the shaft 14 has a generally circular or oval cross section except for the enlarged, irregularly-shaped distal end 14 a, which forms a part of the brush head 20.

The distal end 14 a of the shaft 14 connects to the brush head 20 at a connection angle theta (θ) as defined and illustrated in FIG. 4. The shaft may be connected to the brush head in a number of ways including using adhesives, fasteners, or welding. The connection angle theta (θ) is preferably about equal to or greater than the than the angle delta (δ) between the dorsum of the foot and the leg when the human foot is in the maximum plantar flexion position, which is illustrated in FIG. 9 and is approximately 30 degrees for healthy people. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-7, the connection angle theta (θ) is equal to about 40 degrees. This connection angle enables the user to comfortably orient the brush head in good planar contact with the dorsum of the foot, especially if the axis of the handle 12 is aligned co-planar with a sagittal plane extending through leg. This condition is schematically illustrated in FIG. 9.

The brush head 20 has a generally planar base plate 22 having a distal end 22 a, proximal end 22 b, upper surface 22 c, lower surface 22 d, a lengthwise axis extending from the proximal end to the distal end, and a widthwise axis extending transverse to the lengthwise axis. As best seen in FIG. 1, the base plate may have an asymmetrical footprint that approximates the footprint of a human foot.

Referring to FIG. 7, the brush head 22 has a plurality of bristles extending generally orthogonally from the lower surface 22 d of the brush head 20. A first plurality of bristles 24 a have an equal length and cover a proximal portion of the lower surface 22 d. The first plurality of bristles 24 a are designed to engage and scrub the instep of the foot and are subsequently referred to herein as the instep bristles. In this embodiment, the instep bristles 24 a are made from plastic filament and are about 1 inch long but may be longer or shorter depending on the coarseness of the bristles.

A second plurality of bristles 24 b have unequal lengths and cover a distal portion of the lower surface 22 d. The second plurality of bristles 24 b are designed to engage and scrub the user's toes, and are subsequently referred to herein as the toe bristles. In a preferred embodiment, the toe bristles 24 b have progressively increasing length approaching the distal end of the brush head 20. Their increased length enables the toe bristles 24 b to interdigitate with the toes and clean the spaces therebetween. In this embodiment, the toe bristles are made from plastic filament and vary in length from about 1 inch long to about 1½ inches long, but may be longer or shorter depending on the coarseness of the bristles.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-7, the length of the toe bristles is the same across each widthwise-extending row. However, in addition to having varying lengths along the length of the toe section, the toe bristles may also have varying lengths along the width of the toe section as see in FIG. 8. In a further embodiment, the length of the toe bristles may vary in a repeating pattern along either the length or width of the toe section.

The brush head 24 has an upper base plate 26, which extends from the distal end of the upper surface of the bottom base plate 22. The upper base plate 26 has an irregular shape including at least one convex portion designed for scrubbing the arch of the foot and at least one generally flat portion designed for scrubbing the heal and ball of the foot. Referring to FIG. 7, the brush head 22 has a third plurality of bristles 28 extending generally orthogonally from the upper base plate 26. The third plurality of bristles 24 a are designed to engage and scrub the bottom of the foot, including the arch, and are subsequently referred to herein as the sole bristles. In this embodiment, the sole bristles 28 are made from plastic filament and are about ¼ inch long, but may be longer or shorter depending on the coarseness of the bristles.

The brush 10 includes an integrated liquid soap dispenser that dispenses liquid soap onto the brush head 20 so that the user need not bend over to lather her feet, and need not manually lather the bristles prior to scrubbing. The soap dispenser generally includes a liquid soap reservoir 46, an actuator mechanism 30, dispense valve 50, and an actuator rod connecting the actuator mechanism 30 and dispense valve 50.

The actuator mechanism 30 is built into the proximal end 14 c of the shaft proximate the hand grip 16. The actuator mechanism 30 includes an actuator button 31 located within thumb's reach of the hand grip 16. The button 31 has a central, depression portion 31 a and a radiating skirt portion 31 b. The button 31 is made from a flexible, polymer material, which allows the central portion 31 a to be depressed, i.e., translated downwardly, by the force of the user's thumb, and then released, i.e., translated upwardly, by removing the downward force of the user's thumb. The central portion 31 a of the button extends through an aperture 42 in the shaft 14, while the skirt 31 b is held by a button yoke 32 in abutting arrangement against the inner periphery of the aperture 42.

When depressed, the central portion 31 a of the button abuts a translation cam mechanism generally comprising a wedge shaped cam 34, cam follower 36 and cam housing 38. As best seen in FIG. 5, the upper surface of the cam 34 has an integrated button 34 a, the head of which mounts in an undercut 31 c in the outer actuator button 31. The cam 34 also has tapered side surface 34 b, which engages a cooperatively tapered surface 36 a on the cam follower 36. Upward and downward translation of the cam 31 causes transverse translation of the follower 36 within the cam housing 38. The transverse translation of the cam follower 36 is generally co-axial with the shaft 14.

An actuator rod 40 is connected at one end to the cam follower 36, and connected at the other end to a dispense valve 50 in the brush head 20. In a preferred embodiment, the actuator rod comprises an elongate metal rod having a connector 44 at its proximal end 40 b for connection to the cam follower 36, and right angle bend at the distal end 44 a for connection to the dispense valve 50. The actuator rod 40 is housed in and runs the length of the shaft 14.

The shaft 14 is made from two mating channels, which form a hollow, tubular structure. The internal cavity of the shaft 14 serves as a reservoir 46 for the liquid soap. The reservoir 46 extends the entire length of the shaft down to the brush head 14. Since the handle is very long in the preferred embodiment, the reservoir 46 is capable of containing a large volume of liquid soap. The shaft 14 has a port 48 through which the reservoir 46 is filled, and a port cap 49 for sealing the port 48. The shaft 14 has a short, lengthwise-extending, transparent window 52 in the distal end 14 a of the shaft 14. The window serves as a soap capacity gauge for visually indicating the level of soap in the reservoir 46.

The dispense valve 50 is located inside the distal end 14 a of the shaft 14 and controls transfer of the liquid soap from the reservoir 46 to the bristles. In a preferred embodiment, a bore 54 extends through the lower base plate 22, which enables fluid communication between the reservoir 46 and the instep bristles 24 a. The dispense valve 50 is normally biased to a closed position preventing liquid soap from passing through the bore 54. When the actuator button 31 is depressed by the user, the valve 50 is urged to an open position allowing liquid soap to gravity feed through the bore 54 onto the instep bristles 24 a.

In a preferred embodiment, the dispense valve 50 comprises a pivotable toggle arm 56, hinge bracket 58, coil spring 60 and plug 62. The toggle arm 56 is generally “L” shaped with first 56 a and second 56 b branches extending from a central hub portion having a transverse bore. The hinge bracket 58 is “U” shaped and has a base portion 58 b fixed to the lower base plate 22 and two arms 58 a fixed to and extending upwardly from opposed ends of the base 58 b. The toggle arm 56 is mounted in between the bracket arms 58 a by a hinge pin 64 extending from one arm 58 a to the other through the transverse bore in the hub of the toggle arm 56.

The plug 62 is fixed to the free end of the first branch 56 a. In this embodiment, the plug 62 includes a stem portion 62 a, which is inserted through a mounting hole in a mounting flange 56 c on the end of the first branch 56 a. The seat portion 62 b of the plug 62 has a conical shape and is integrally formed with the stem 62 a from a pliable material such as silica gel. A coil spring 60 surrounds the hinge pin 64 and urges the first branch 56 a of the toggle arm downwardly, thereby forcing the plug 62 into the closed position. When the actuator rod 40 pulls on the second branch 56 b, it toggles the plug 62 to the open position out of engagement with the bore 54 in the base plate 22.

Another embodiment of the brush of the present invention is shown in FIG. 8. The brush is designated by reference numeral 110 and has a similar construction to the brush 10 described above. In this embodiment, the instep bristles 124 a, bore hole 154, toggle arm 156, hinge bracket 158, and plug 162 have generally the same construction as their counterpart components described. However, in this embodiment, some of the toe bristles 124 b are serrated and have a widthwise tapered length.

In this embodiment, the brush 110 also has a removable brush head 120 so that a replacement brush head 120 can be installed or the original brush head 120 removed for cleaning. In one embodiment, the brush 110 is provided with a plurality of brush heads having different properties. For example, the various brush heads 120 may have bristles 124 with different coarsenesses or lengths. Additionally, the various brush heads 120 may have specific identifying indicia, such as numbers, letters or color, so that a particular brush head can be associated with a particular user in the event the user does not wish to share the same brush head 120 with multiple users.

In this embodiment, the handle 112 includes a distal base plate 159 that slidingly engages the upper surface of the lower brush head base plate 122. In one preferred embodiment, the handle base plate 159 has a tongue portion 161 that engages a cooperatively-shaped groove portion 163 of the brush head base plate 122. The tongue and groove preferably have a shape, such as a dovetail shape, that prevents the handle base plate 159 and brush head base plate from pulling apart.

The brush 110 includes a quick release mechanism that enables the brush head to be disconnected from the handle and replaced with another brush head. In this embodiment, the quick release mechanism comprises a detent 165 on the back of the brush head base plate 122, which prevents the plates from disengaging until desired. To disengage the brush head 120 from the handle 112, the user depresses the detent 165 and slides the brush head forward until the tongue and groove disengage. A new or different brush head 120 is installed by sliding the brush head rearwardly until the detent 165 engages the rear edge of the handle base plate 159. In another embodiment, the detent could also be fixed to the handle base plate 112 and engage the rear edge of the brush head base plate 122.

In yet a further embodiment, the brush includes a shower cap 70 as seen in FIG. 10. The shower cap 70 has a generally spherical shape with an elastomeric neck 74, which can be expanded during installation over the brush head, and a plurality of vent holes 72. When the cap 70 is installed on the brush 10 or 110, and the brush is hung vertically from the hook, the shower cap 70 prevents water and/or soap from dripping onto the floor in the event the brush is hung outside the shower enclosure. If the brush is hung inside the shower enclosure, the cap would preferably not be installed.

Except as noted above, the brush components are preferably made from a rust-proof, mildew-resistant material that is lightweight and durable. In a preferred embodiment, the brush is made of plastic.

The brush enables the user to easily clean remote parts of the body, especially the feet, without bending excessively. Initially, the user fills the reservoir with liquid soap through the fill port 48. To clean the top side of the foot, the user positions the brush so that instep bristles engage the instep and the toe bristles engage the toes. Then, the user depresses the actuator button to release a small amount of liquid onto the bristles. The user then agitates the bristles over the foot by reciprocating the brush.

To clean the bottom side of the foot, the user lifts the foot slightly off the floor and re-positions the brush so that the sole bristles engage either the arch, heal, or ball of the foot. At this point, the foot should be sufficiently lathered so that application of additional soap is not necessary. The user then agitates the bristles over the foot by reciprocating the brush. The unique shape of the brush permit the user to scrub all the uniquely-shaped sections of the foot without substantial manipulation of the foot, thereby reducing the risk of slipping in the shower.

It is to be understood that the description, specific examples and data, while indicating exemplary embodiments, are given by way of illustration and are not intended to limit the present invention. Various changes and modifications within the present invention will become apparent to the skilled artisan from the discussion, disclosure and data contained herein, and thus are considered part of the invention. 

1. A brush for use while bathing, comprising: a) a handle having an elongate shaft with a distal end, proximal end, and a hollow central portion, and a hand grip fixed to the proximal end of said shaft; b) a brush head fixed to the distal end of said shaft, having: i) distal and proximal ends, upper and lower surfaces, lengthwise and widthwise axes, and a connection angle between said shaft and said brush head; ii) a plurality of sole bristles fixed to the upper surface of said brush head; iii) a plurality of instep bristles fixed to the lower surface of said brush head at the proximal end; iv) a plurality of toe bristles fixed to the lower surface of said brush head at the distal end, said toe bristles having a length different than said instep bristles; c) liquid soap dispenser having: i) an actuator button on said handle proximate said hand grip; ii) reservoir in fluid communication with said brush head; iii) dispense valve connected to said actuator for controlling transfer of the liquid soap from said reservoir to at least one of said plurality of bristles.
 2. The foot brush recited in claim 1, wherein said brush head has a footprint that approximates the shape of a human foot.
 3. The foot brush recited in claim 1, wherein the connection angle between said shaft and said brush head is about equal to or greater than the angle between the dorsum of the foot and the leg when the human foot is in the maximum plantar flexion position.
 4. The foot brush recited in claim 3, wherein said connection angle is greater than about 30 degrees.
 5. The foot brush recited in claim 1, said liquid soap dispenser comprising: a) translation cam mechanism engaging said actuator button; b) a communication port connecting said reservoir with at least one of said plurality of bristles; c) a toggle plug mechanism; and, d) an actuator rod connecting said cam mechanism and toggle plug mechanism.
 6. The foot brush recited in claim 5, said reservoir comprising the hollow cavity formed in said handle.
 7. The foot brush recited in claim 1, including a soap capacity gauge for indicating the level of soap in the reservoir.
 8. The foot brush recited in claim 7, said soap capacity gauge comprising an elongate window in the shaft proximate the distal end.
 9. The brush recited in claim 1, said toe bristles having an increased length along the lengthwise axis of said brush head.
 10. The brush recited in claim 1, said upper brush surface having a convex surface portion and a generally-planar surface portion.
 11. The brush recited in claim 10, said convex surface having a curvature that approximates the curvature of the arch of the human foot.
 12. The brush recited in claim 10, said sole bristles extending upwardly orthogonal to said surfaces.
 13. The brush recited in claim 1, said handle having a length at least about 24 inches.
 14. The brush recited in claim 1, at least a portion of said toe bristles having an increased length along the widthwise axis of said brush head.
 15. The brush recited in claim 1, said brush head being removable from said handle and replaceable with a different brush head.
 16. A foot brush for use while showering, comprising: a) a handle having an elongate shaft with a distal end, proximal end, and a hollow central portion; b) a brush head fixed to the distal end of said shaft, having: i) a first bristled surface having a bristle contour that compliments the dorsum of the foot; ii) a second bristled surface having a bristle contour that compliments the sole of the foot c) liquid soap dispenser integrated into the handle, having: i) an actuator button on said handle; ii) reservoir in fluid communication with said brush head; iii) dispense valve connected to said actuator for controlling transfer of the liquid soap from said reservoir to at least one of said bristled surfaces.
 17. A brush for use while bathing, comprising: a) a handle having an elongate shaft with a distal end, proximal end, and a hollow central portion; b) a brush head removably fixed to the distal end of said shaft, having: i) a first bristled surface having a bristle contour that compliments the dorsum of the foot; ii) a second bristled surface having a bristle contour that compliments the sole of the foot; and, iii) a quick release mechanism that enables the brush head to be disconnected from the handle and replaced with another brush head; c) liquid soap dispenser integrated into the handle, having: i) an actuator button on said handle; ii) reservoir in fluid communication with said brush head; iii) dispense valve connected to said actuator for controlling transfer of the liquid soap from said reservoir to at least one of said bristled surfaces.
 18. The brush recited in claim 17, including a plurality of interchangeable brush heads having different physical properties. 